Golden Jubilee National Hospital NHS National Waiting Times Centre Monitoring surgical wounds Patient information guide This leaflet explains surgical wound infection and the national programme for monitoring infections acquired in hospitals Agamemnon Street Clydebank, G81 4DY (: 0141 951 5000 www.nhsgoldenjubilee.co.uk
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This hospital is taking part in a National Programme so that it can measure its rates of surgical wound infection and be sure that its patients are given the highest possible standard of care. All acute hospitals in Scotland currently take part in the National Programme, which is called Scottish Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infection Programme (SSHAIP). Hospitals monitor infections in different types of operations. The National Programme is coordinated by the Health Protection Scotland (HPS). What is surgical wound infection? There are lots of micro-organisms (germs) on our skin and in the environment around us. Most of them are harmless, some are beneficial and a very small proportion can cause harm. Our skin protects us from germs that can cause harm. A surgical wound infection occurs when germs from the skin or the environment enter the incision (cut) that the surgeon makes through your skin in order to carry out the operation. When do surgical wound infections develop and how common are they? A surgical wound infection can develop at any time from two or three days after surgery until the wound has healed (usually two or three weeks after the operation). Very occasionally, an infection can occur several months after an operation. Surgical wound infections are uncommon. Most surgical wound infections are limited to the skin, but can spread occasionally to deeper tissues. Infections are more likely to occur after surgery on parts of the body that harbour lots of germs, such as the gut. Monitoring surgical wounds for infection 3
How will I know if I have a surgical wound infection? During your stay in hospital, the staff member who changes your wound dressings will check for any signs of infection. If you are concerned about your wound, tell the Nurse who is looking after you. Don t be tempted to remove your dressing, touch your wound or wound drain. You could accidentally transfer germs from your fingers to your wound. After you leave hospital, you may develop one or more of the symptoms listed below: The skin round your wound gets red or sore, or it feels hot and swollen Your wound has a green or yellow coloured discharge (pus) You feel generally unwell or feverish, or you have a temperature These symptoms could indicate that you have a wound infection. You should tell your GP who would decide if you require treatment. What happens if I develop a surgical wound infection? If the nurse or doctor suspects that you have a surgical wound infection, they may take a sample from the surface of your wound with a swab and send it to the laboratory for tests. Your nurse or doctor may prescribe treatment with antibiotics. What information is passed to the Health Protection Scotland? No information that can be used to identify you, such as your name, address or postcode, is passed to the Health Protection Scotland. This hospital passes information about your operation to the Health 4 Monitoring surgical wounds for infection
Protection Scotland as part of the National Programme for monitoring surgical site infection. The information is related to the risks of developing surgical wound infection. The risk depends on many factors and includes the following: Your age and sex Your general medical condition before the operation Type of operation How long the operation lasted Whether or not you developed a surgical wound infection and if so, which type of germ caused it What does the Health Protection Scotland do with the information? Scottish Surveillance of Health Associated Infection Program (SSHAIP) collects the information from the hospitals on behalf of HPS. The information is used to calculate rates of surgical wound infection for different types of operations. Hospitals can then compare their rates to national rates and decide where they may need to make improvements or share good practice. What else does Health Protection Scotland do? SSHAIP is part of Health Protection Scotland (HPS). This organisation was established in November 2004 by the Scottish Executive to strengthen and co-ordinate health protection in Scotland. HPS plays a critical role in protecting people from infectious diseases and in preventing harm hazards involving chemicals, poisons or radiation occur. Where can I get further information about infections in hospital? Monitoring surgical wounds for infection 5
The Health Protection Scotland publishes information each year on surgical wound infections. The latest report is available on the website: www.hps.scot.nhs.uk The Health Protection Scotland website has a section on Healthcare Associated Infections. This includes a fact sheet on the mandatory surveillance of orthopaedic surgical wound infections and a protocol for the surveillance of surgical site infections. Adapted from the Health Protection Agency Leaflet of the same name. 6 Monitoring surgical wounds for infection
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(: 0141 951 5513 Please call the above number if you require this publication in an alternative format Review date: December 2014 Version 4 GJH IC012